The cost-effectiveness of mini peak expiratory flow as a screening test for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among the Bangkok elderly.

This study aims to explore the cost-effectiveness of Mini Peak Expiratory Flow (miniPEF) as a screening test for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) among the elderly in 124 urban communities around Siriraj Hospital, using the gold standard of diagnosis based on the guidelines of the Thoracic Society of Thailand. There were 3,094 subjects who participated and completed all the tests. The results showed that the cut-off miniPEF percentage of predicted value of highest average accuracy was 62 per cent. The sensitivity was 72.7 per cent (95% CI 67.0-78.6) and the specificity was 81.1 per cent (95% CI 79.7-82.5) The cost of screening 19 elderly to detect one case of COPD is 923 baht, with a false negative rate of 1.9 per cent (95% CI 1.3-2.5%) and a false positive rate of 17.5 per cent (95% CI 15.4-19.6%). It is suggested that measuring a miniPEF is regarded as one of the cost-effective screening tests for COPD in the elderly.